The Wendigo: A Quick Read edition

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 2 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 6 minutes

"The Wendigo" is a horror novella by Algernon Blackwood, first published in 1910. The story is set in the wilderness of Northwestern Ontario, where two Scotsmen, Simpson and his uncle Dr. Cathcart, are on a moose-hunting trip with guides Hank Davis and Joseph Défago. While camping, Défago senses a strange and fearful odor on the wind, and later runs off into the night, forcing Simpson to go and look for him. Simpson follows his footprints in the snow for many miles, realizing that Défago's are not the only set of tracks. Eventually, both sets of tracks vanish, and Simpson believes he hears Défago's distant voice calling out from somewhere in the sky above. The story ends with the three men left in a state of bafflement and uncertainty about what has occurred. The novella has been praised for its sheer naked concentrated horror, and its influence can be seen in various works of horror fiction, including H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and the horror anthology Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.